Wyclef not on Haiti's candidate list

Haiti hip-hop star Wyclef Jean is not on the list of approved candidates who satisfy legal requirements to run in the country's November 28 presidential election, Reuters has learned.

The presidential bid by the 40-year-old singer-songwriter had triggered widespread enthusiasm in his poor, earthquake-ravaged Caribbean homeland. But it was challenged on the grounds he did not fully meet the requirements, including a key one on Haitian residency.

"He is not on the list as I speak," an electoral official, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters.

He said the electoral disputes bureau entrusted with settling challenges to candidates had ruled that Jean did not meet several legal requirements, but gave no more details.

The provisional electoral council is due to formally publish today the full list of approved candidates to run in the election to choose a successor to president Rene Preval, who cannot seek re-election after two terms in office.

Jean, who left Haiti with his family to live in New York at the age of nine and launched his music career in the United States, was among 34 contenders for the presidency who filed their documents with the council this month.

Contacted by Reuters, Jean declined to make any comment, saying he had not been officially notified of any decision and would try to confirm the information.

Earlier, he met Mr Preval.

A photo of them meeting, both smiling, was posted by Jean on his Twitter account.

On Tuesday (local time), the provisional electoral council said it was postponing until Friday its announcement of the final list.

That sparked feverish expectation that has raised fears of political tensions and possible violence in the volatile Caribbean country.

Jean's jump into politics galvanised the Haitian political scene, triggering enthusiasm among the country's restless, widely unemployed youth, who see him as a refreshing symbol of home-grown hope; and alarm among the traditional Haitian political elite who seemed to feel threatened by him.

Haiti, the poorest state in the Americas, is still struggling to recover from a magnitude 7 earthquake that struck the capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding area on January 12, killing up to 300,000 people and dealing a crippling blow to the already underdeveloped economy.

The unnamed electoral official told Reuters he had heard reports that some candidates might be preparing to stir up violent protests if their candidacies were rejected.

"I've even been told that they have already bought and distributed machetes ... It's up to security officials to assume their responsibilities," he added.

"But we are doing our job and we will continue to assume our responsibilities regardless of what people do or say."

UN and Haitian police have stepped up joint patrols in the still rubble-strewn streets of the capital, including around the electoral council headquarters.

About 1.5 million homeless quake survivors are living in tents and under tarpaulins in the streets of the hilly, ramshackle coastal city.

"I'm not a candidate who will promote violence," Jean told Reuters, although he did confirm he had gone into hiding after receiving death threats.